Test Yourself: I’m your man

Test Yourself is where you can improve your reading skills. Whether it’s for tests like University Entrance Exams or IELTS and TOEFL, or even just for fun, these pages help you to read, understand and improve your English.

Read the following story by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

On 30 September this year, 22-year-old Philip Thinroj stood onstage at GMM Live House, CentralWorld. After months of competition, he had made it to the grand finale of The Face Men Thailand. And then the announcement came - Philip was the winner of the show’s first season. Now the Thai-Swedish heart-throb has big dreams for the future.

MOVING ON UP

It’s been a long journey for Philip. According to the young star, the day of his audition was crazy.

“I had a lot of confidence in the beginning. But when I arrived at the audition and realised that there were 500 people there, I was suddenly so scared. I started sweating and feeling very nervous. All I kept thinking that day was, ‘Be cool. Be yourself. Take it easy. Just smile.’”

His natural charisma won through and he was invited to take part in the show. Over the next few months, he and 17 other hopefuls faced off in photo shoots, runway walks and commercials. Philip made it to the final, where he strutted on the runway, danced and even did backflips. The judges were impressed and chose him as their winner.

WILD CHILD

Born in Sweden to Thai parents, Philip grew up in Stockholm. He spent his younger days having fun and getting into trouble. He would put himself in dangerous situations, climbing buildings or playing rough — he once broke his arm during a basketball game. He also loved to party. On one occasion, he took his DJ set into the woods and played to 100 people.

“I was a bit wild when I was young. That party happened when I was 16. It’s one of my best memories. People were dancing and drinking, hanging around the fire, eating sausages and marshmallows,” he said.

At the age of 18, Philip worked as a DJ at a nightclub while also working days at a sushi restaurant. Clearly, he led an interesting life in Sweden. But it wasn’t enough. He found himself dreaming of something more.

YOU GOT THE LOOK

“I like to take risks. I enjoy things when they’re hard and challenging,” he said.

This sense of adventure eventually brought him to Thailand in early 2015. He began his modelling career in TV commercials and also got a job at a coffee shop in Ari.

The person who inspired him to work in Thai showbiz was actually Ornapha Krisadee. Once while on holiday in Bangkok, he ran into the famous TV personality at a department store. He and his mother approached Ornapha for a photo. She told him that he would have opportunities here. It was after this encounter that he began to seriously consider moving to Thailand to pursue an acting and modelling career.

DREAM ON, DREAMER

Philip has wanted to become a movie star ever since he was a child. He hopes that one day he might be able to prove himself in Hollywood.

“I want to do action movies. I want to be like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Tony Jaa — and also Johnny Depp. He’s one of those actors who can play anybody. He’s my biggest idol,” he said.

By the time Philip went to an audition for The Face Men Thailand, he was already doing two TV commercials per month. He was ready to put his skills to the test.

“Over the previous year, I’d been training hard to be an actor, a model, everything. I wanted to experience high-pressure situations and see if I was ready for showbiz. The Face was an opportunity to see if I was good enough. I wanted to finally open doors and say, ‘Hey, my name is Philip Thinroj and I want to be your actor.’”

SECTION 1

Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.

1. How many contestants took part in The Face Men Thailand?

a. 17. b. 18.c. 500.

2. Philip won which season of The Face Men Thailand?

a. The first.b. The second.c. The third.

3. How old was Philip when he got a job as a DJ in a club?

a. 16 years old.b. 18 years old.c. 22 years old.

4. Where was Philip raised?

a. In Bangkok.b. In Stuttgart.c. In Stockholm.

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?

a. Philip trained as a sushi chef. b. Philip has always wanted to be a model. c. Philip wants to act in American movies.

6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?

7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?

a. Philip worked at a coffee shop in Stockholm.b. Philip was inspired to go into Thai showbiz after a chance meeting. c. Philip trained hard for a year.

SECTION 2

Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.

8. finale

a. a person who wants to succeed at something

9. hopeful

b. the last part of a show or a piece of music

10. nervous

c. the business of providing public entertainment, for example in the theatre, in movies or in television

11.challenging

d. anxious about something or afraid of something

12.commercials

e. difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability

13. showbiz

f. an advertisement on the radio or on television

SECTION 3

Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.

“Some people still get …..14…… They wonder, ‘Who am I? What kind of style should I …..15…..? How should I dress? What should I do?’ But my mentor Lukkade Metinee helped me to …..16….. past that. She helped me find …..17….. I know who I am now. I know what I want to …..18….. I …..19….. to be an actor - an Asian actor - who can go international.”

14.

a. confuse b. confusing c. confused

15.

a. go b. do c. have

16.

a. be b. move c. come

17.

a. me b. myself c. mine

18.

a. do b. act c. action

19

a. will b. am c. want

SECTION 4

Rearrange the following groups of words to form grammatically correct sentences in the space provided.

20. has/Philip/shining/a/charisma

………………………………………………………………………..

21. is/where/he/now/right/Dedication/is/got/what/him/to

………………………………………………………………………..

22. steady/was/His/progress

………………………………………………………………………..

23. really/on/team/her/I/appreciate/choosing/her/me/to/be

………………………………………………………………………..

24. It’s/to/find/that/of/person/kind/hard/world/this/in

………………………………………………………………………..

Answers

Section 1

1. b.2. a.3. b.4. c.5. c.6. a.7. a.

Section 2

8. b.9. a.10. d.11. e.12. f.13. c.

Section 3

14. c.15. c.16. b.17. b.18. a.19. c.

Section 4

20. Philip has a shining charisma.21. Dedication is what got him to where he is right now.22. His progress was steady. 23. I really appreciate her choosing me to be on her team24. It’s hard to find that kind of person in this world.